Failure sucks

Can you turn a page on a life coach book, or click an article on a self-help blog, without getting the inspiring message that failure is a wonderful thing. No one quite says “strive to fail,” but boy, do they build up the benefits: Failure is a great learning tool. Failure gives you a chance to rethink the situation. Failure may slow you down, but never let it get you down.

To which I say, in the spirit of the season, “Bah, Humbug.”

Failure is usually awful. I t makes you doubt your self-worth. It makes you think you will never succeed. It plays havoc with your confidence.

Now, I know we all see the same stories. Tales of people praising their failures as an awakening, a way for them to discover a new, better path. You hear it a lot from people who have unfortunately undergone some real monumental failures. They praise the experience for having opened their eyes, and are thankful for the experience. Though I have no problem accepting what they say, I truly believe that if the misfortune/failure had not occurred, they would be a lot better off.

As with most of us, I have had failures. And as a creative, I have had my share of being fired, a real sign of failing. Sure, something else has luckily always come up in the job market. But personally, I would rather have picked the time of my departure from a company, rather than being a slot in the downsizing routine.

The main lesson from failing is that it might make you try even harder not to fail the next time. So sure, you can learn a lot from failing. But you can also learn a heck of a lot from succeeding.